Friday, November 7, 2014

Wellesley College is
a private women's liberal-arts college in the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts,
United States, west of Boston. Founded in 1870, Wellesley is a member of the
original Seven Sisters Colleges and is consistently ranked among the top 10 liberal
arts colleges in the United States.

A couple of months
ago Alex Poon ’14, won the College’s 119th Annual Hooprolling competition.
Poon is from McLean, Va., and majors in
computer science. As it suggests, this competition is being conducted for more
than 100 years. Ever since its origin, the senior class has gathered early one
morning near the end of the academic year dressed in their Commencement gowns
and class colours. At a signal, the seniors race down Tupelo Lane, pushing
their hoops and vying for the honor of being thrown into Lake Waban. How the
College defines success, which is promised to the winner, has changed
throughout the decades. Originally the winner was said to be the first to
marry, later the first to become a CEO, and now is said to be the first to
achieve success however they define it.

One may not read
anything on the news above without realising its connection. Not sure whether this happens even in small
villages now. Almost half a century ago,
children used to play on roads in the city of Chennai aka Madras. They
had little of playthings – most of the play tools were the ones discarded in
some manner.

Other than Cricket,
Gilli thandu, Goli (marbles) bambaram (tops) …. Hide and seek – was this rustic game – driving
cycle – not exactly a bi-cycle, which was a luxury – most heads of family had
one – would keep them well-oiled and shining –not many would allow the cycle
tobe touched and driven by kids – those who get a chance would drive with
half-pedal (kurangu pedal – monkey pedalling)

What gave the
youngsters pleasure was the [old worn-out] cycle tyre – kids would run
enthusiastically guiding the cycle tyre either by hand or with small sticks,
turning, putting eights and in all feeling as if they were driving a royal
cycle. There were symbolical races and
hard fought fights of colliding one with other, seeing which remains without
falling for long. Those of us who played these games will understand the
pleasure and recall them instantly [sure
the modern day compu savvy whizkid never knows these]………….. and do you know
that it is not a local sport – perhaps another colonial vestige with name ‘hoop
rolling’ !

Now this is what you
would read when you google ‘Hoop rolling’ - also called hoop trundling, is both a sport
and a child's game in which a large hoop is rolled along the ground, generally
by means of an implement wielded by the player. The aim of the game is to keep
the hoop upright for long periods of time or to do various tricks.

Hoop rolling has been
documented since antiquity in Africa, Asia and Europe. Played as a target game
it is an ancient tradition among widely dispersed aboriginal societies. In
Asia, the earliest records date from ancient China, and in Europe from Ancient
Greece. The Greeks referred to the hoop as the trochus. Hoop rolling was
practised in the gymnasium, and the hoop was also used for tumbling and dance
with different techniques. The hoop held symbolic meanings in Greek myth and
culture. A bronze hoop was one of the toys of the infant Dionysus, and hoop
driving is an attribute of Ganymede, often depicted on Greek vase paintings
from the 5th century BCE.

Wellesley College has
been conducting hoop rolling competition for more than a century.